


Chameleon

by illegalmuppetfighting



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Dæmons, Familiars, M/M, Nephilium, soul familiars
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-19
Updated: 2013-12-19
Packaged: 2018-01-04 11:23:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1080428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/illegalmuppetfighting/pseuds/illegalmuppetfighting
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Castiel was joyful the day his dæmon settled.<br/>He finally felt accepted.</p><p> </p><p>AU where the angels are mostly human and never were angels, but the Winchesters still hunt and the Supernatural still exists. Humans are born with a dæmon, a physical representation of their soul, which usually settles on a form in their teenage years.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Chameleon

**Author's Note:**

> Dæmon: familiar. NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH DEMON.  
> Aptus: the respective human of a familiar
> 
> Alta: 'profound' -Castiel's dæmon (Purple Martin)  
> Beatus: 'Righteous' 'Blessed' 'Fortunate' - Dean's dæmon  
> Ludibrio: 'plaything' -Bathazar's dæmon (Aracadi Toucan)  
> Dolor: 'suffering' -Anna's dæmon (Brahminy Kite)

     Castiel was in no way surprised when two months after his sixteenth birthday he woke up and Altarii had settled.

 

   He had been watching her since the day he turned thirteen with baited breath, watching with satisfaction as she turned more and more to forms of avian nature, watching with content as she flitted alongside Stelliryyn and Deficiosa with their extensive, robust wings, echoes of the arms of his brothers draped around his shoulders in the autumn chill, watching with happiness as she preened whatever coat of feathers took her fancy that day. Castiel was proud that his dæmon took after those of his family; a subconscious, haunting fear had eased when he woke up to the sight of black wings fading into a dark blue and felt a sense of peace.

 

 “We are settled.” His dæmon’s voice was a quiet whistle in the hazy, drunk sunlight of morning pouring in through the window above his bed. Castiel stretched languidly under the covers, weakly pushing the coverlet aside with sleep-weakened hands. The meaning of the words took a second to register properly.

 

“Settled?”

 

“Yes, settled, you lethargic lump.” Alta crooned, buffing his hairline with her wings.

 

  Altarii's uncanny blue eyes met his with a surge of complete delight, pleasure and a hint of smugness as Cas fought his way above sleep, ruffling her iridescent plumage and elongating her slim primary feathers to their full extent, reveling in her now-permanent form. Castiel rejoiced with her, prideful at finally being grown up in the eyes of society. He pushed away rampant black curls as he hastily pushed away the bedcovers, sitting up, laughing softly as Alta’s thin feet landed on his chest and pitch black feathers brushed past his nose. She was perfect, more perfect than he could have ever asked for, and he understood with complete clarity why Anna had been so ecstatic when Dolorr had settled. Speaking of….

 

  “Castiel!”

 

  The blur of russet feathers and a short, amused whistle followed by a dark, frizzy mob of russet hair peeking around the doorframe signaled the entrance of his older sister. Dolorr's talon's curled into the scarred headboard of her empty, unmade bed across the room, pale head suddenly raised in rapt attention as he caught sight of Alta, who had decided to make a nest in her Aptus' hair, arranging his wayward curls. His piercing gaze met Altarii's and the room filled with the familiar buzz of two Dæmons talking mind-to-mind. They stares that way for a few seconds before Dolorr turned toward the doorway, happiness etched across  
his every movement.

 

   "They have settled," his voice was a warm baritone, "Anna, come and see!"

 

      "Castiel! Alta's-! Why didn't you tell-! What is sh-?" Anna's overjoyed voice was quick to follow as she tripped over herself and her words on her way to Castiel's bed in surprise. Although she was older than Castiel, she was decidedly more sophomoric, and one of the more playful of his decidedly stern-faced family. He loved her very much and enjoyed her company more than most, even if he didn’t understand her at times, and demanded that she be called by her nickname, Anna, rather than Anael. He thought Anaa beautiful name, and never understood-

 

    The brush of Altarii's wings against his cheek as she sensed his thoughts go wayward softly urged him back to the moment at hand.

 

   "I don't know-Altarii doesn't either-she looks like some kind of blackbird, doesn't she? Or maybe a subspecies of sparrow?"

 

   Anna tilted her head in puzzlement at Alta, Dolorr echoing her movement from his perch on the headboard. The similarity between them was unmistakeable, and Castiel was glad for her that their bond was strong. The bond between Dæmon and Aptus was cherished and a source of great influence for each participant, if all was as it should be. Children born without Dæmons died within hours, and now that Altarii was settled, Castiel wanted to keep her closer than ever. Her form was a reflection of his soul, and he couldn’t be more proud at the sight of her coal-and-amethyst feathers.

 

  "Should we get..?"

 

   "No!" Alta said, speaking up for the first time, inturrupting Anna hurridly, "No, Just get Balthazar, I'm sure he has a book buried in that room of his-"

 

  "You call?"

 

  Balthazar was leaning precariously against the doorframe, eyes heavily lidded; smudges of lipstick against his jaw and what was unmistakably glitter in his hair. His dæmon, Ludibrio, was absolutely concealed in the stuff, adhering to the sullied material of Balthazar's shirt and swaying back and forth against his neck, colorful beak opening and closing in drunken croons. Although Balthazar himself looked rather unfazed, Lud’s condition was more than enough to ascertain the state of his Aptus.

   The sight, overall, was slightly wretched, but very characteristic of him. As far as black sheep of the family went, it could honestly be worse, seeing as he hadn't gotten thrown in jail for a prolonged period of time yet and had only eloped twice.  And he was rather brilliant, if you could catch him sober. Which, currently, he definitely wasn't.

 

   Anna rolled her eyes and sighed affectionately. She was undoubtedly the most tolerant of Balthazar and Ludibrio's antics of the entirety of their existing family.

 

       "You're not planning on going down to breakfast like that, are you?" she quipped, then turned stern, "You know what Michael will say."

 

  Balthazar jolted in his movements but slightly, shrugging off the tension in the room. He dragged Ludibrio off his shoulder, cradling him and making preoccupied attempts to brush the glitter off his vibrant feathers. "Wouldn't be the first time. Wh'd you need me for?"

 

  Castiel glowered in half-hearted disapproval and stood up from the bed, Altarii taking an intuitive perch on his shoulder. His face softened as he raised a hand to gently stroke her head. 

     “Altarii has settled.”

 

  Balthazar’s face lit up like a Christmas tree; he nearly dropped Lud (who flared his wings in protest, dispensing glitter liberally all over the floor) in his zeal, but as he made a start from his position on the doorframe, it became clear that he wasn’t in control of his own feet. His slumped back into his previous position, bleary bright-eyed.

 

   “Cassie! Little brother, all official now, and taking after the family, eh? Featherball,” he applauded Castiel fondly, hands wandering aimlessly through the air, and Castiel silently thanked God that he wasn’t being ruffled and hugged and subject to all manner of the ‘affection’ that his brother liked to demonstrate. Balthazar dutifully bowed his head to address Altarii, tone turning respectful (for though he may be a deviant, Balthazar knew better than to address any dæmon rudely. That was an etiquette drilled firmly into their family.). “Altarii. Purple Martin, a clever bird, you settled well. My congratulations.”

 

  The solemn spell didn’t last long, however.

 

     “Lud would, y’know, offer his respects and such, but…” He brushed more glitter off the slightly-more-coherent bird in an example.

 

  Altarii chuckled and Castiel held back a smirk. “I know. He can commend us later,” she teased.

 

  Anna rolled her eyes as she grabbed a worn pair of leather shoulder pads from her dresser, slipping them on over her loose nightshirt. Dolorr flew to perch on her shoulder, talons digging into the tough material and red wings arching gracefully around her shoulders. “We were out earlier,” she began, pulling on similar leather braces, “It’s a beautiful day. Michael was going to make pancakes,” Balthazar grinned greedily, “and most of the family is home today, so after we lug drunk-ass here down the stairs so he can get whipped,” the grin turned almost comically into a frown, “You guys can announce your happy news!”

 

 

  Castiel felt simply buzzy.

 

 

     “Ready to grow up, Cassie?”

 

 

      “Don’t call me that.”

 

  

      Nothing could spoil this high.

 


End file.
